Networking

Public speaking used to be one of Daniel Wilson’s worst nightmares. That was until he became involved with Young Professionals of Augusta – a local nonprofit that provides networking, professional development, and community outreach opportunities for working professionals between the ages of 21 and 40. “Public speaking is much easier for me now,” because that skill is required in both his role as YPA’s president and his full-time job as a building performance specialist for Total Comfort Solutions, says Wilson. That’s just one of the many skills he has developed

Tonia Gibbons had an idea to launch her own consulting and public relations firm, but she knew she needed to develop some fundamental business skills. Gibbons – founder of Farr More and Associates in Augusta – completed an intensive 12-week entrepreneurship certificate program called Make Startups offered by theClubhou.se – a small business incubator located on the third floor of the Georgia Cyber Center off of Reynolds Street in downtown Augusta. “The training prompted me to work on my business plan, do research on my market to make sure it’s

Local BNI members listen to a presentation in December 2019. There are currently six chapters in the CSRA with a total of 128 members. (Photo from Augusta BNI Facebook page) Over the past year, many business owners have struggled to survive both the pandemic and intense competition. But in that same time period, local Business Network International members have made 4,725 referrals and secured $4.3 million worth of business, according to Andy Passmore, who serves as the local BNI area director and works as a mortgage loan officer at Security

Tom D’Abruzzo, owner of BrandStorm Promotions, LLC, has sponsored Networking for Leads at the Columbia County Chamber of Commerce for the past four years. (Photo by Josh Heath) In today’s competitive business environment, it’s more important than ever for business leaders to be effective networkers. It’s not always about what you know; it’s about who you know that matters in business. Fortunately, there are many networking opportunities right here in the CSRA. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet about 10 local business leaders, including a few I already knew,

Time, effort, and authenticity are important ingredients to building strong, mutually beneficial relationships. The art of genuinely connecting with others and helping them climb in their own journey seems to have been forgotten over the years. As passionate entrepreneurs and business owners, it can be hard to just listen and connect with others. Listening and learning more about others and their business, vision, dreams, and goals takes an investment of time & effort that some are not willing to commit. Focusing on relationships and others can be analogous to long-term